Camp announces China trade hearing

Published 10:00 am, Sunday, October 23, 2011

Congressman Dave Camp, R-Midland, announced that the Committee on Ways and Means will hold a hearing on the U.S.-China economic relationship. The hearing will be 10 a.m. Tuesday.

The hearing will focus on the significant opportunities presented by the Chinese market as well as the barriers that U.S. companies, farmers, and workers continue to face. The hearing will explore the Administration's plans to address China's persistent barriers to trade and investment.

"And when China has violated its international obligations, the United States must aggressively enforce its rights. I look forward to hearing the Administration's plan for addressing China's persistent barriers to U.S. exports and investment and exploring what should be done to ensure American employers and workers are treated fairly, said Camp."

There are a number of longstanding issues that have caused friction between the United States and China. American companies, farmers, and workers still face many barriers in China. These longstanding problems include subsidies that distort competition; lack of regulatory transparency; currency misalignment and a closed capital account; harmful "indigenous innovation" policies; failure to adequately protect intellectual property; and many other barriers to U.S. exports and investment. These issues have been central themes in bilateral dialogues, such as the Strategic & Economic Dialogue and the Joint Committee on Commerce and Trade (JCCT), as well as multilateral negotiations in the G20 and World Trade Organization.